Railway track maintenance equipment



March 4, 1969 J. K, STEWART 3,430,578

RAILWAY TRACK MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 16, 1967 Sheet Of 5 11 Fig.1.

flvvswroe JOHN K. STEWART 0 7'7 GENE 1 5 March 4, 1969 J. K. STEWART 3,430,573

RAILWAY TRACK MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 16, 1967 Sheet 2 of :5

Wyn me Jay/v K 572M27- March 4, 1969 J. K. STEWART 3,430,578

RAILWAY TRACK MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 16, 1967 Sheet 3 of 5 g] aim/x5? ArrOP/VEV United States Patent 7,316/66 US. Cl. 104-4 5 Claims Int. (:1. non, 33/00, 29/04, 29/14 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for lifting a tie of a railway track into pressure contact with the rails of the track and to maintain it in position whilst the tie is spiked to the track, which apparatus has a tie nipping device which is driven into the ballast beneath the tie and automatically caused to grasp the tie and lift it up into pressure contact with the underside of the rails and which, by movement of a single control element, is capable of releasing and replacing the tie back into the ballast after a spiking or like operation, a hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement being provided to move the vehicle along the track relative to the tie when held by the nipper device, to align spike working equipment on the vehicle with the holes for receiving the spike.

Background of the invention In railway track maintenance operations it is frequently necessary to lift a track tie, which may for example have sunk due to compacting or erossion of its underlying ballast, into pressure contact with the underside of the rails and then secure the tie in position with spikes driven into the tie through gripping plates associated with the rails.

In the past, apparatus capable of lifing a railway tie and holding it in pressure contact with the undersurface of the rails during a spiking operation required two sets of tie nipping devices. These devices disturbed the ballast of the track in two places and required duplicate handling and adjustment.

The present invention provides apparatus which although it will disturb the ballast of the track at only one point, is capable of simultaneously serving both rails of the track.

Summary of the invention As outlined above, when the tie is held in pressure contact with the underside of the rails, it is then necessary to secure the tie by driving spikes into it through plates associated with the rails, the plates being provided with holes to accept the spikes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle having both tie lifting and spike driving apparatus and which has the facility for adjusting the position of the spike driving apparatus relative to the tie lifting apparatus so that when the lifting apparatus is holding a tie in pressure contact with the undersurface of the rails, the spike driving apparatus can be accurately positioned relative to the holes in the gripping plates. Accordingly, the invention consists in a wheeled vehicle adapted to travel along a railway track, the vehicle having spike working equipment for the spikes of each rail, and tie gripping equipment for holding a tie in pressure contact with the underside of the rails, the tie gripping being positioned for operation between the rails and being pivoted to the vehicle about a transverse axis, and poweroperated means interposed between the gripping equipment and the vehicle frame for effecting relative swinging between the gripping equipment and the vehicle frame about said axis. By this arrangement when the gripping equipment holds a tie in pressure contact against the underside of the rails, and there is found to be a misalignment longitudinally of the track as between the spike working equipment and the holes in one of the gripping plates then, the power-operated means can be actuated to cause the vehicle to move along the track by pivoting relative to the fixed gripping equipment, to bring the spike working equipment into alignment with the holes.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a control circuit which operates virtually automatically to grip and lift a tie under the action of a single master control valve and which imparts a high production rate to the device.

Accordingly, the present invention further comprises a manually operated control valve operable in one direction to admit fluid under pressure to the second power means to drive the open tie-gripping arms into the ballast, a pressure responsive valve, in series with the master control valve, responsive to a reaction of the ballast, and operable to cause the actuation of the first power means to close the gripping arms about a tie, and a second pressure responsive valve, responsive to a reaction of the gripped tie and operable to cause the reversal of second power means to lift the arms and the gripped tie. According to a preferred feature of the invention, when the master control valve is operated in a second direction, fluid under pressure is admitted to the second power means and to the first power means to release and return a gripped tie, after a spiking operation, further valve means being provided operable on completion of the release of the tie to cause the return of the second power means to an up position.

Brief description of the drawings An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle in accordance with the invention mounted on a railway track;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken on the line II--II of FIG- URE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic diagram of a hydraulic control circuit.

Description of the preferred embodiment A self-propelled vehicle adapted to travel along a railway track carries spike driving equipment (not shown), on each side of the vehicle, the equipment on each side being in the same transverse line. The vehicle is formed with a transversely extending tunnel-shaped opening 10 between the two sets of spike driving equipment, in which opening is suspended, from a transverse axis in line with the spike driving equipment, a pivotal mounting frame 11 for centrally positioning the tie lifting equipment. The mounting frame has transversely-spaced vertically extending guide rods 12 on which can slide a cross-head 13 pivotally mounting a pair of longitudinally spaced tie gripping arms 14. These arms are pivoted substantially at their centres to the cross-head and their lower portions are formed as spiked hooks 15 for driving into ballast on either side of a tie 16 and subsequently gripping the tie therebetween as will be described. The arms 14 are preferably located substantially centrally of the rails 22, that is centrally of the tie to be lifted.

The upper portions of the gripping arms above their pivots are each pivotally attached to one extremity of a hydraulic ram 17 (the first power means), the other extremity of each ram being pivotally attached to the cross-head 13. By this arrangement, extensions of the rams 17 causes the spiked hooks to move towards each other to a tie-gripping position, whilst contraction of the rams causes the hooks to move apart to a tie releasing position.

To effect vertical movements of the cross-head and gripping arms along the slides 12, a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 18 (the second power means) is attached at the top of the mounting frame by a pivot 19, the rod extremity thereof being attached to the cross-head 13. The stroke of the assembly and length of the gripping arms are such that at the top of the stroke the hooks are clear of the ties to allow the vehicle to travel along the track, whilst at the bottom of the stroke the hooks are at a level below the bottom surface of the tie.

Pivotally attached at one extremity to the lower end of the mounting frame 11 is another hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 21 (the power operated means) extending longitudinally of the vehicle, its other extremity being pivotally attached to the vehicle frame. Extension or contraction of the assembly 21 effects relative pivoting between the vehicle and the mounting frame.

The operation of the device will now be described.

The vehicle is brought into position with the spike driving and tie lifting equipment over a tie to be jacked, and the hydraulic assembly 21 adjusted to a mid-stroke position in which the mounting frame 11 is vertical. The jacks 17 on the cross-head are adjusted to open the spiked hooks 15 and the assembly 18 is operated to drive the cross-head down so that the spiked hooks 15 penetrate the ballast on either side of the tie with the arms 14 straddling the tie. When the hooks 15 are at a level below the bottom of the tie, the rams 17 on the cross-head are extended causing the hooks 15 to close to tie gripping position and the assembly 18 is contracted to lift the cross-head 13 and hence the gripped tie 16 into pressure contact with the underside of the rails 22. Control means including a sensor sensitive to pressure in the cylinder may be provided and adapted to terminate the lifting operation when a predetermined pressure is established. The assembly would then be hydraulically locked to hold the tie in pressure contact with the rails for the spike driving operation.

If the spike driving equipment (not shown) on the vehicle longitudinally misaligned with the holes in the gripping plates, then the hydraulic assembly 21 is activated to inch the vehicle along the track in the appropriate direction against the resistance of the mounting frame 11 which is held stationary by the pressure contact between the tie 16 and the rails 22.

After the spike driving is completed, the hooks 15 are disengaged from the tie 16 by contracting the rams on the cross-head, and the gripping arms are then lifted out of the ballast by actuation of the assembly 18. The tie may then be reballasted with conventional ballasting and tamping equipment.

There will now be described, with reference to FIG- URE 3, a hydraulic control circuit actuated by a single manually operated lever 25. This circuit controls the sequence of the tie nipping operation and provides for rapid operation leading to a high production rate.

When the lever 25 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, hydraulic pressure is applied through a master control valve 26 to the top of cylinder 18 to lower the spiked hooks 15. As the hooks 15 are driven into the ballast, they encounter resistance. In the hydraulic circuit, there is seen a pressure relief valve 29 which is set to release at 2,000 p.s.i. When pressure build-up in the system, due to the ballast reaction, reaches, say, 1,900 p.s.i., a pressure responsive valve 28 opens to connect pilot valves 33, 34 causing them to operate and apply main line hydraulic pressure to cylinders 17, driving their pistons outwardly thereby closing the tie gripping arms 14 about the tie.

As the spiked hooks 15 move inwardly through the ballast towards the tie, they encounter negligible resistance and thus, pressure in the system is reduced. However, when the hooks 15 actually encounter the tie 16 and clamp thereon, there is, due to reaction, a further pressure building up in the system. This pressure build-up causes a second pressure responsive valve 36 to open and to operate pilot valve 37. Valve 37 reverses the mains pressure supply to cylinder 18 causing the arms 14 and the tie 16 grasped therein to be lifted against the rails.

The tie is now held in position for a spike driving operation. The pressure exerted by the cylinder 18 must be selected such that it is high enough to withstand the stresses induced by the spike driving operation, without permitting the tie to slip and at the same time not to be so high as to damage the tie. Of course, if desired, by centering the master control valve 26, the system can be hydraulically located. When the spiking operation is completed, the operator rotates the lever 25 in a clockwise direction.

This rotation causes valve 26 to reverse the fiow of mains pressure to cylinder 18 causing the down-feed of the arms 14 and the tie therein so that the tie is lowered back into the ballast. At the same time, pressure is applied through valve 26, line 39 to reverse valves 33 and 34 causing the reverse of pressure application in cylinders 17. This contracts the cylinders 17 and opens the arms 14. Thus as the cylinder 18 lowers, the cylinders 17 simultaneously open to release the tie. When the pistons of the cylinders 17 have completed their travel and bottom, the resulting pressure build-up is communicated via line 40, opens a further valve, a pilot operated check valve 41, permitting valve 37 to return under its spring pressure, thereby again reversing mains flow to cylinder 18 causing the up-feed of the cylinder. When the necessary degree of up-stroke has been completed to clear the hooks 15 from the tie, the operator centres the lever 25.

Cylinder 21 is operated manually by means of lever operated control valve 44.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a wheeled vehicle adapted to travel along the rails of a railway track, tie lifting apparatus comprising a cross head member carried by said vehicle for vertical sliding towards and away from the track between the rails, a pair of tie gripping arms pivoted to said member in spaced relation longitudinally of the vehicle and operable by pivotal movements of the arms to selectively grip and release a tie, first power means for effecting said pivotal movements, second power means for driving said members downwardly with said arms straddling a tie and for lifting said member with the gripping means gripping the tie to bring the tie into pressure contact with the underside of the rails; a manually operated master control valve operable in one direction to admit fluid under pressure to the second power means to drive the open tie gripping arms into the ballast, a pressure responsive valve, in series with the master control valve, responsive to a reaction of the ballast, and operable to cause the actuation of the first power means to close the gripping arms about a tie, and a second pressure responsive valve, responsive to a reaction of the gripped tie and operable to cause the reversal of second power means to lift the arms and the gripped tie.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which, the master control valve is operable in a second direction to admit fluid under pressure to the second power means and simultaneously to cause the reversal of the first power means to release and lower the gripped tie and further valve means operable on completion of travel of the first power means to cause the up-feed of the second power means.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a control means for the second power means operative for holding the said member in position with the tie in said pressure contact.

4. In a wheeled vehicle adapted to travel along the rails of a railway track, tie lifting apparatus comprising a frame pivotally mounted about a transverse axis on the vehicle; a cross head member mounted on the frame for vertical sliding towards and away from the track between the rails; a pair of tie gripping arms on said member operable to selectively grip and release a tie; first power means for operating said arms; second power means for driving said member downwardly with said arms straddling a tie and for lifting said member with the gripping arms gripping the tie to bring the tie into pressure contact with the underside of the rails; and power operated vehicle propelling means interposed between said frame and the vehicle chassis for effecting relative swinging between the frame and the vehicle chassis about said transverse axis whereby, when a tie is gripped by said tie gripping arms, to move the vehicle along the track relative to said lifting apparatus.

5. In a wheeled vehicle adapted to travel along the rails of a railway track, tie lifting apparatus comprising a frame pivotally mounted about a transverse axis on the vehicle; a cross head member mounted on the frame for vertical sliding towards and away from the track between the rails; a pair of tie gripping arms on said member operable to selectively grip and release a tie; first power means for operating said arms; second power means pivotally mounted about said transverse axis for coaxial pivotal movement with said frame for driving said member downwardly with said arms straddling a tie and for lifting said member with the gripping arms gripping the tie to bring the tie into pressure contact with the underside of the rails; and power operated vehicle propelling means interposed between said frame and the vehicle chassis for effecting relative swinging between the frame and the second power means therewith, and the vehicle chassis about said transverse axis whereby, when a tie is gripped by said tie gripping arms, to move the vehicle along the track relative to said lifting apparatus.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,596,823 5/ 1952 Richardson 1042 2,925,048 2/ 1960 McWilliaInS 10417 3,240,162 3/ 1966 Foxx 104-9 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, \Primary Examiner.

R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner. 

